Sliding jaw screw cap remover



April 14, 1953 F. K. KRAG SLIDING JAW SCREW CAP REMOVER Filed Jan. 24, 1952 Patented pr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Franz K. Krag, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Krag Steel Products, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 24, 1952, Serial No. 267,943

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to improvements in jar openers, and the like. These implements are used in connection with the opening of jars, generally for household uses, and these implements provide means to secure a very firm hold on the jar cover to start the unscrewing of the same from the jar. They may also be used for tightening the covers when closing the jars.

Generally speaking, the present improvements relate to that form of jar opener shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,000,962, issued on my application May 14, 1935. In that form of jar opener there is provided a frame which includes two parallel rails or rods along which a gripping jaw device may be slid and forced towards a companion stationary jaw element. The slidable jaw device is so formed that it may be freely moved along the rails to bring its jaw member into gripping engagement with the jar cover at a location opposite to a position of engagement of the stationary jaw element. The slidable jaw device is also provided, in that patent, with a hand grip which, when rocked towards the adjacent frame rail serves to force the movable jaw member into strong engagement and pressure against the jar cover, thus gripping the jar cover between the stationary and movable jaw members with a force which is proportionate to the force with which the hand grip element is forced towards the frame rail.

' In the construction shown in that earlier pat- 'ent I have provided a dog or pawl which is pivoted to the hand grip at a point between the two frame rails, and this dog or pawl is provided with a tooth which may be engaged with one of the teeth formed along the inwardly facing surface of one of the frame rails. Such engagement must be effected by rocking the hand grip slightly in the jar gripping direction; and after such engagement of the pawl with a tooth oi the rail, further rocking of the hand grip under increasing force will cause the movable jaw device to be gripped with a corresponding force against the jar cover. The movement which may be caused by rocking of the hand grip after the pawl has been engaged with a tooth of the frame rail is sufficient to ensure strong gripping engagement with the jar cover, but is not sufcient to accommodate jar covers o diierent sizes; nor is such movement sufficient to enable convenient placement of the jar opener over the jar cover, except by the eX- ercise of considerable care. Accordingly, the parts are so proportioned that by rocking the hand grip away from its gripping position the pawl will be completely disengaged from the teeth of the frame rail, so that the gripping jaw device may be readily and freely slid along the rails to bring the two opposing jaws into preliminary engagement with the opposite portions of the jar1 cover. Having done this the hand grip element serves to develop whatever amount of gripping force may be desired to hold the jar cover securely during the starting of unscrewing such cover.

It is also to be noted that when the hand grip of that earlier construction has once been forced close to the adjacent frame rail, and with the pawl in engagement with one of the rail teeth, it is not possible to move the parts back along the rails for separating the two jaws from each other, except by taking hold of the hand grip element and purposely rocking it outwardly away from the frame rail to which it had been moved. Furthermore, when it is desired to again use the device for a cover gripping operation, it is necessary for the user to purposely rock the hand grip still further from the adjacent frame rail in order to bring the pawl into position such that another engaging operation of such pawl with the teeth may be produced, as needed to produce another jar cover gripping operation.

The principal object of the present invention'is to provide, in jar cover removers of the general type of that earlier patent, spring means acting in connection with the hand grip, and in connection with the pawl, to normally urge the hand grip outwardly into disengaged or inoperative position, so that said part will normally stand in position ready for another cover removing operation.; and to also provide spring means between the hand grip and the pawl normally urging the pawl towards tooth engagement with the frame rail, so that it is not necessary at any time for the user to produce a special movement or adjustment in order to bring the pawl into such tooth engagement; but it is also an important feature in connection with the foregoing features to provide means to limit the movement of the pawl with respect to the hand grip, in the tooth engaging direction, so that when the hand grip is normally and fully spring moved in its disengaging direction the pawl will be drawn away from the teeth of the frame rail, even against the urging of the spring which urges said paw1 towards engagement with said rail teeth. It is then an object to so arrange the parts that when gripping movement of the hand grip is commenced towards the adjacent frame rail the pawl will move with such hand grip, as the hand grip is thus moved against its spring urging, to carry the pawl tooth into engagement with a rail tooth; and it is a further object to so arrange the spring means that when the foregoing condition has been attained, further rocking of the hand grip, against the urging of its spring means, will cause the desired cover gripping action to occur, the pawls tooth being retained firmly in engagement with a rail tooth during this operation by reason of the urging of the spring means which acts on the pawl.

In connection with the foregoing, it is a further object of the present invention to so arrange the spring means for both the hand grip and the pawl, that when one gripping operation has been completed, with consequent forcing of the hand grip into limiting movement engagement with the adjacent frame rail, and with corresponding maximum pawl movement in its force producing direction, another cover gripping movement of the parts may be produced to carry the movable jaw element to a further position in its cover gripping direction, the carriage which travels on the frame rails remaining' in its most forwardly moved position, and the pawl now being advanced to position to engage another tooth of the frame rail, closer to the stationary jaw than the previously engaged tooth. By this means it is possible, if necessary, to force the movable jaw towards the stationary jaw element with two or even three distinctrsteps of gripping engagement movement, and without need of special adjustments or reengagements of parts by the user.

A further feature and object of the invention isv to provide the spring actions above referred to by use of a single spring element, so arranged, and so engaged with the parts that it is capable of producing the proper reactions, and producing the desired relative urgings and movements of the parts.

It is a further feature and object of the invention to so arrange the spring element, and to so produce the desired reactions, that such spring element may be introduced into and combined with standard forms and constructions of jar cover openers which have been made and are currently being made according to the teachings of said earlier patent, and substantially without need; of redesign or change of the dies and other manufacturing equipment and operations used in connection with large scale manufacture of the jar openers made according to that earlier patent. Thus, the present improvements may be readily adapted into and used in connection withV such manufacturing equipment and designs now currentlyv in use.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a plan or face View of a typical jar cover opener embodying the features of the present invention, and with the hand grip is its normally spring retracted and disengaged position, with the pawl also fully disengaged and slightly removed back away from the frame rail teeth, this ngure being on substantially full scale of a typical unit;

Figure 2 shows, on enlarged scale as compared to Figure 1, a planar section through the carriage element, and various of the parts, the hand grip being in its normally fully spring retracted position, and the pawl also being drawn back slightly away from the frame rail teeth;

Figure 3 shows another section similar to that of Figure 2, but with the hand grip rocked somewhat towards the adjacent frame rail, far enough to carry the pawl tooth almost into engagement with one of the frame rail teeth; and in this figure the spring element which urges the hand grip into its disengaging position has been slightly deformed, but the spring element which normally urges the pawl tooth into engagement with one of the frame rail teeth has notl yet been deformed from its original or previous form and tension, although Said spring element constantly urges the pawl to rock with respect to the hand grip and in direction which, if permitted, would carry the pawl into tooth engagement with the frame rail tooth;

Figure 4 shows another section similar to the sections of Figures 2 and 3; but in Figure 4 the hand grip has been forced fully in the jar cover gripping direction, against the urging of the hand grip spring element; and correspondingly the pawl has been further moved t0 Carry its. tooth into engagement with one of the frame rail teeth. and then the further rocking movement of` the hand grip has caused the pivotal point of the pawll to be forced towards the stationary jaw element, due to the relativeV positions and rolas tionships of the pivotal points of the hand grip on the carriage, and of the pawlon thailand grip, according to 'the teachings. of said earlier patent; but in Figure 4 these movements and operations have also caused deformation of the pawl spring as Well as the hand grip spring, and under the conditions existing as shownin, Figure 4 any relaxation of the, grippingr force. on; the hand grip, suiicient to allow said hand. grip to swing outwardly from the adjacent framer rail would cause the pawl to be drawn towardsnvr the observer, that is, towards the stationary jaw member, on the assumption that the carriage were held against backward movement along the frame rails at such time;

Figure 5 shows a longitudinal section taken. on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, but with the insert of Figures 8 and 9 secured to the carriage, said insert being shown in face view in Figure 8; I

Figure 6 shows a transverse longitudinal. section taken on thev line 6 6 of Figurev 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, being in elect an edge view looking at the assembly which includes the hand grip, and the pawl element, tgether with the spring element to which thei present im-` provements especially relate Figure 7 shows a fragmentary section takenon the line l-l of Figure 1, looking. in the direction of the arrows, but on enlarged scale, and it` also shows the insert for the lower stationary jaw member in place;

Figure 8 shows a detail face view of the insert for the carriage jaw, prior to inserting the same into place on said jaw and Figure 9 shows an edge view of the insert for the carriage jaw. being an edge View correspond,- ing to Figure 8.

In the figures the frame rails are shownatt H) and I l. Conveniently they comprise; the arms of a U-shaped element of rod, material.v A cross member l2 is secured to the, free endsv ofV said arms, said cross member being providedwithan oif-set flange I3 which has the serrated,edget I4 facing towards the closed end of the frame mem,- ber A carriage element l5 hasv its side edges I6 and l'l folded around the arms I0 and H, so that said carriage may slide backandforthzon the arms orv rails., The central portion. of; this; car:-

riage is provided with the olf-set ange I8 which is provided with the serrated edge I9 which lies in the same plane with the serrated edge I4, said plane being off-set from the plane of the rails I and II. These two serrated edges grrip the jar cover flange between them during a cover removing (or replacing) operation.

A hand grip element 20 is provided, such hand grip conveniently comprising a blank of sheet metal formed to provide the spaced upper and lower flanges 2| and 22. These flanges are separated sufliciently to receive one of the rails I I between them as well shown in various of the figures. The lower or inner ends of these flanges 2| and 22 are formed to provide the lugs 23 and 24. A bracket element 25 is provided, being of Z from, including the ear 26 on its lower end, and the lug 21 on its upper end. The central portion of the carriage is perforated as shown at 28, and is also formed upwardly an amount substantially equal to the thickness of the ear 26, at a position adjacentl to such perforation 28. Thus the ear may be set down through the perforation and locked in place against such upwardly formed portion, as well shown in Figure in particular. The lug 21 of the bracket element 25 is then located at an elevation to set against the inside face of the lug 23 of the hand grip when the parts are assembled. When thus assembled the other lug 24 of the hand grip element seats against the lower and outer face of the carriage element. A pivot rivet 29 is extended through both of the lugs 23 and 24 of the hand gripelement, and through the bracket lug 21 and the carriage element, as well shown in Figure 5 and others. l

The pawl element 30 is of U-shaped form, including the parallel flanges 3l and 32. These side flanges are separated from each other an amount sufficient to permit the pawl element to set between the lugs 23 and 24 of the hand grip element, as well shown especially in Figures 5 and 6.. This pawl element also includes the top connecting portion 33 which joins the flanges 3I and 32. The right-hand end portion 34 of this portion 33 projects slightly beyond the flanges to provide a sharpened edge which may engage with the various serrations or teeth 35 formed on the inwardly facing surface of the rail or arm I0, when the pawl element is shifted rightwardly to a position just beyond the position shown in Figure 3. The left-hand end portion 36 of the connecting portion 33 of the pawl projects slightly leftward beyond the anges 3l and 32 to provide -an abutment which will engage the rail or arm II when the pawl element is shifted leftwardly to a position as shown in Figure 2. A rivet 31 is extended through both of the lugs 23 and 24 of the hand grip element and through the anges 3| and 32 of the pawl element, as well shown in Figures 5 and 6.

With the structures thus far described it is evident that when the carriage and the hand grip are in the position shown in Figure 2 the carriage may be freely moved along the rails in either direction since the pawl clears the teeth or serrations of the rail I0 at all times; that when the hand grip is rocked to the position shown in Figure 3 the pawl edge 34 is just ready to engage the teeth or serrations when the hand grip is rocked rightwardly slightly more than shown in that gure so as to produce driving engagement between the pawl and the rail I9; and that when the hand grip has been rocked fully to the right as shown in Figure 4 thepawl edge 34 has engaged one of the teeth or serrations, and due to the relative pivotal positions of the rivets 29 and 31 a toggle action is produced such that the carriage is forced towards the stationary jar cover engaging edge I4 by the amount of distance shown ai; 38 in Figure 4. When the carriage position of Figure 4 has been attained the pawl element is rocked counterclockwise its full amount. By then rock-v ing the hand grip counterclockwise a time will come when the left-hand edge 36 of the pawl element will engage the rail II so that further counterclockwise rock of the hand grip will then cause the pawl element to rock clockwise with respect to its own pivot 31 but evidently the amount of such return rock will necessarily be less than might be permitted by the spacing beftween the rails IIJ and Il.

The structures so far described are also shown in my aforesaid earlier patent, No. 2,000,962, and they have been explained herein to enable a better exposition of my present improvements.

I have provided a spring element, 39, conveniently in the form of a wire spring element, but evidently other forms of spring may be used, to conform to the requirements which I shall now explain. This spring element includes the spiral portion 40 which sets over the rivet pivot 29, and the spiral portion 4I which sets over the rivet pivot 31. The lower end portion 42 of this spring element abuts against the right-hand edge portion of the bracket element 25 so as to provide an abutment for said lower end portion of the spring element; and the two spiral portions 40 and 4I are joined together by lthe central portion 43. The upper end portion 44 of the spring element is received through an opening 45 formed in the upper connecting portion 33 of the pawl element. The spring element as a whole is normally biased to cause the upper end portion 44 to tend to rock rightwardly about the rivet 29 as a pivot, the lower end portion 42 of the spring element being anchored or held stationary as explained. Under these conditions the following relationships and spring urgings are produced:

Due to the relationship of the pivot rivets 31 and 29 with respect to the anchored lower spring end 42 there is always a tendency to shift the pivot rivet 31 leftwardly, thus normally urging the hand grip to its leftward or non-operated position. Due to the spring bias of the spring element, there is a tendency or urging of the pawl element 30 to rock the same clockwise, on the pivot rivet 31, such tendency existing at'all times, both when the hand grip is in its leftward position of Figure 2 and also when itis in its most rightwardly rocked position of Figure 4. Due to this constant urging exerted on the pawl element it is evident that in the absence of suitable provision to limit clockwise rock of the pawl element about the pivot rivet 31 the right-hand edge 34 of said pawl element would always be retained in engagement with the teeth or serrations of the rail I0. However, I have provided a limitstop on the hand grip element to limit the amount of such clockwise rocking of the pawl element with'respect to the hand grip. The stop thus provided comprises the lug or off-'- set portion 46 which is struck inwardly from the lug 24 (towards the observer when looking at Figure 4), or leftwardly. when looking atI Fig-,- ure 6, the amount of such off-set .being approxi-vl mately the thickness of the flange ofthe pawl element or slightly more. This stop is'fso located that as the hand grip rocks.counterclockL wise under urge of the spring*element.` .andwto- 'the' carriage may be f executed 4.without 'interference 'between `fthe 'ipawl "and 'the frail iil. Also, the left-:hand A4e'dge 1 portion S135 @of the 'pawl *element-engages the rail Zll shortly after the Vpawl elementi has cleared the teeth: oriA serrations, Ythus limiting the fcounterc'lockwise rocking movement of the hand grip.

Whent'hehandgripis manually forced right- Ywardly-'for'clockwise "on its rivetpivotze 'the .pawl

element twill `continue fto remain against such stopielement-B-uritil "finally lthe'edge 3E of the 'pawl lelement vcornes Vinto .engagement with the Yrail J0, KVand engages one'of the teeth thereof.

Further `clockwise rock lof `the hand grip will then occur with the stop 'element 'd6 moving downwardly Vfrom the vpawlelement, leaving the pawl Vnelement spring Vpressed 'against the -rail it) and its ftooth or A'-sel'ra'tion Such `condition l.is

Awell shown 1in Figure il.

:On the -return J`movement of ythe 'hand grip, after completing -a ljar -fcover removing operation, the `spring -urge of the spring section ll will `retain the pawl 'in engagement with vthe rail f until A`'the stop 5de rises :high enough 'to engage the ledgefo'f the -p'awl element. Thereafter lfurtherteounterclo'ckwise rock of -the hand `grip will-cause `said stop to jforce the pawl lelement Ato'lollow.themovernent of the hand grip, thus ydrawinglthe pawl-edge 34 away from the rail ill land its teeth -andrserrations sufficiently to permit vthe carriage 'to be shifted freely up anddownalong Vthe rails, 4as already-explained.

With the spring improvementsherein disclosed it is evident that afterva j'arcover removing operation has been executed, 'bringing the hand grip element -to such a position as that shown in Figure 4, and with the carriage shifted along the rails, the hand grip may be relaxed vto a greater "or less extent,rockin g counterclockwise about the rivet -pivot 2S, under urging Vof the spring element; vand lif, under these conditions `the "carriage be yretained in vits thus advanced position, 'the vpawledge 34 will be drawn downwardly into position Yto=engage a more advanced tooth Yorserrationfof the rail IQ. Then `by another :gripping movement lon the zhand grip a further 'advancement of the carriage may be ,executed beyond its previous position. Thus, if tshould be foun'dthat the rst gripping vmovement lofthe-hand 'gripwas not vsuiicient to lbring about `good, :engagement with the jar cover, such second hand lgrip'm'ovement would bring about lthe degree of engagement needed to enable the jar cover to be'loosened and removed.

'.It will also be apparent lthat this spring arrangement ensures that -the hand grip and the p'awl velement will always be in proper relative positions to permit "a jar cover removing operation vto be executed without `any special adjustments rof vthese Yparts bythe operator, other than sliding "the carriage along the rails far enough to `bring'th'e gripping Aedges vhi and i9 into good engagement 'with the jarl cover `flange at -opposite sides thereof. f

In l1Figures 5 and i7 vIv'have shown-a fragmentary por-tion of *a 'jar y`cover' to rwhich the cap .'.remover of the :present invention -istoibe engaged. This is the jar .cover-47. It'includes the usual straight fianged portion 43, shownvas being knurled,ian'd the threaded portion '4S which threads onto the threadedneckof the jar. The dimension ofthe straight sectiond --is usually small, and present tenden-cies are -towardsreduc'tion of the dimension of this-straight section. It is desired that -the jaws ofthe present utensil shall directly engage thisstraight section, and not .the threaded section file, since when such threaded isectionis engaged bythe `jaws, andsaid jaws arelclamped lrmlytowardseach other, it frequentlyhappens that the threads are Ythus mutilated, and frequently they are even deforme-dsumcien'tly lto ciampthem against the material ofthe jar neck. When this happens the lcover is itself '-thus clamped with increased firmness Ionto fthe jar neck, so that the difculty of removing .the zjar cover is increased bylthe y'very implement'which is intended to make fthe cover removal easier. It will be evident, however, thatby ensuring that the engagement of the jars shall always be made with the straight section -48 of the cover, the danger of deformation of the cover .threads will be practically eliminated. VIt is desirable to form the jaw elements with .some-displacement between the plane which theyvoccupy and the plane which includes the two arms vlil and ii, and such a displacement is shown in lFigures 5 and 7. This displacement may be great enough to allow the undesirable engagement of the jaws with the cover threads llii. I have therefore made provision for yensuring jaw engagements with the covers in a plane closer tothe plane of the arms it and -II than that :plane which includes the jaws y|55 and I8. 'I shall now explain this feature:

The carriage element i5 is provided with .one or two openings 5e and 5i atopposite sides of the ear perforation 28. I have shown in Figuresr' and 9 an insert 52 including the flat yportion 53 adapted to set dat against the surface of thecarriage plate i5, the separatedlugs 55 and 55-.which set at the sides of the ear 126, and the oir-set ange portion 56 which terminates yin the serrated edge 5i. The amount of oir-setof this portion 55 is less than theofP-settihg of the portion |-3 of the carriage proper, but the rserrations El of the insert are so formed thatthey align generally with the corresponding serrations "i9 of the-carriage jaw. The lugs 54 andes are vprovdedwith the ears 53 and 553 adapted to set through the openings 5G and 5l, respectivelvafter which-said ears may be riveted to the Acarriage plate to securely lock-the insert in place.

Examination 'of Figure 5 will show that `when such insert is provided-thecarriagehas, in effect, two sets of serrated jaw elements inalignment with each other, so that the one or the other l-will surely engage ythe straight v`section :d8 'of the jar cover. Such engagement will be ensured, `even though theother serrated jaw lie opposite to the threads ofthe jarcover. This'is truesince said threads are not of diameter, measured from vthe jar axis, greater than the diameter-ofthe straight section it of the jar cover.

I have also shown, in :Figure "1, an vinsertelement 68 set between the cross member '2 and the ange i3 which comprises the stationary -jaw element of the utensil. This insert is shown vas being of sufficient thickness to completely =`fill the space between said Lcross member i4F2 and said ange -I 3, being `tightly :clamped 'between these parts to hold the insert securely in place. This insert, when used, is also provided with serrations aligning with the serrations M of the flange and comprising, in effect, continuations of said serrations. Accordingly, this stationary jaw member will also grip the straight portion of the jar cover, and will not grip the threads thereof.

I claim:

1. In a jar cover remover, the combination of a frame element including a pair of parallel rails, a carriage slidably mounted on said rails and including runners slidable on said rails and a cross member connected to said runners, a lever member including a hand grip located substantially in the plane of the parallel rails and outside of the frame element and rockable to a cover gripping position substantially parallel to the adjacent frame rail and said lever member including a pair of spaced apart elongated lugs lying parallel to said cross member, said elongated lugs being located between the parallel rails of the frame element and extending lengthwise of the jar cover remover, a first lever pivot pin secured to said carriage cross member substantially midway between the parallel rails and extending through the end portions of said spaced apart lugs, a pawl element located between the spaced apart lugs of the lever member and including a pair of spaced apart flanges lying parallel to the cross member, a second pawl pivot pin extending through the spaced apart lugs of the lever member at a location between the first pivot pin and the hand grip of the lever member and also extending through the spaced apart flanges of the pawl element, a pawl tooth on said pawl element extending towards the proximate surface of the frame rail most removed from the hand grip, together with a unitary elongated spring element having one end in engagement with the pawl element at a point between the pawl pivot pin and the pawl tooth, and having its other end in engagement with the carriage cross member at a point adjacent to the lever pivot pin, said spring passing both the pawl pivot pin and the lever pivot pin and being in engagement with the pawl pivot pin at the pawl tooth side thereof, and being in engagement with the lever pivot pin at the hand grip side thereof, said spring acting to urge the pawl in a direction to move the pawl tooth towards the surface of the proximate frame rail and acting to urge the pawl pivot pin towards the other frame rail to thereby urge the lever member in a direction to move the hand grip away from the frame rail which is adjacent to said hand grip.

2. A jar cover remover as specied in claim 1, together with co-operating means on the lever member and the pawl element located in position to limit rocking movement of the pawl element tooth towards the proximate surface of the frame rail prior to engagement of said pawl tooth with said rail surface when the hand grip is in lever spring moved position most removed from the adjacent frame rail.

FRANZ K. KRAG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,408,524 Long Mar. 'A7, 1922 1,987,399 Harris Jan. 8, 1935 2,000,962 KragA May 14, 1935 2,236,342 Marsella et al Mar. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 953,876 France May 30, 1949 

